313: Skipping Grad School, Choosing Travel: Life as a Queer Latina Freelancer with Dianni Hall

313: From Turning Away Grad School to Freelancing Nomad and Choosing Your Own Path as a Queer Latina with Dianni Hall

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Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: [00:00:00] Grad school, along with many other academic and professional spaces, wasn't built for first gen and BIPOC folks like us. And yet here you are, navigating it all, often without the adequate support you deserve. That's why I created Office Hours with me, Doktora Yvette, a budget friendly, high impact coaching and consulting space designed specifically for first gen, BIPOC, and or neurodivergent grad students, postdocs, and early career professionals.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: It's a 50 minute small group drop in session where you can ask me anything about productivity, imposter phenomenon, burnout, setting boundaries. grad school apps, funding and financial literacy, career development, and more. You can even stop by and just have me chat it up with you about a recent podcast episode if that works for you.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: You'll receive strategies [00:01:00] and a supportive space to figure things out together. Spots are capped at eight participants to keep it intimate and interactive, and to make sure I can answer everyone's questions. Sessions happen twice a month for a limited time. To be honest, I'm not sure how long I'll keep this offer available.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: So, sign up now at the link in the show notes, and let's get you the support that you deserve.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: ​ Welcome to the award winning Grad School Femtoring Podcast, the place for first gen BIPOCs to listen in on inclusive grad school stories and learn about personal development and productivity tips. This is Dr. Yvette Martinez Vu, a certified coach, consultant, and author, and I will be serving as your Femtor, providing you with insider knowledge to help you reach your personal [00:02:00] and professional goals

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Welcome back everyone to another episode of the Grad School Femtoring. This is your host, Dr. Yvette. Today we are covering the topic of turning down a grad school offer. That's right. To pursue your own path as a freelancer and digital nomad. Our guest is Dianni Hall and she is a queer solo budget backpacker, second gen Latina and digital nomad who has been living a nomadic lifestyle for nearly six years.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Currently Dianni is a freelancer specializing in podcast production, having launched her own podcast while she's away in 2020. So check it out. On her show she interviews women about their travel experiences and expertise, aiming to inspire others to live their [00:03:00] best lives while exploring the world. She also currently works for two podcast production companies while simultaneously managing her own clients and sharing her travel adventures on her own social media channels. Dianni's passion for travel has driven her to see much of the world . And she's excited to share her knowledge and experiences with you. So without further ado, welcome to the podcast. Dianni

Dianni Hall: Hi, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here and I'm really thrilled about our conversation today.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Me too. Me too. I don't even know how I discovered that you had gotten into grad school and didn't go. And I was like, wait, hold up. How come I haven't interviewed her so I'm excited to have you here. And actually, before I even knew that I had been interested in reaching out, I just hadn't followed up because this happens to me all the time where I want to invite people. And then I get

Dianni Hall: happens to all us

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: little shy,

Dianni Hall: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Primarily because I know a lot of folks [00:04:00] who still desire to travel to, I mean, actually it's 2025. I know a lot of folks who want to just GTFO.

Dianni Hall: Yes. Yes.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I think this idea of whether it's traveling for fun or it's pursuing a different lifestyle a lot of folks are interested in like , how do you even go about that? And so I would love for you to tell us a little bit more about you, about your backstory and how you got to where you are today, which I also know because I follow you on socials, that where you are now is, has also shifted.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: So if you're comfortable sharing a little bit about that,

Dianni Hall: I was gonna say, that

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: bio I sent you

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: you can do that too.

Dianni Hall: is a little slightly, maybe a month or two

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: outdated

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Let's, let's get that update.

Dianni Hall: yeah, we gotta get that updated so I can, I can share about that first. But I was digital nomad ing for six and a half [00:05:00] years and am now based in New York. It's, it's very fresh. That's why I say a very recent change to that bio.

Dianni Hall: I moved in as of January, but it's the first time I'm kind of signing a lease. Not the first time ever in my life, but the first time in some time. I lived in Spain for a while as an English teaching assistant and I think that was maybe the last time I had roommates or was signed on a lease. But I also am now, I'm still freelancing.

Dianni Hall: I actually just recently brought in a freelance client, but on top of that, I'm starting a full time job on Monday,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Wow.

Dianni Hall: As sales operations coordinator for AdLarge, still in the podcasting space, just more now on the ad sales side of things. So a little bit of a pivot away from production, but still working with some great individual clients that I really enjoy working with.

Dianni Hall: And yeah, so there's, there's some updates there to, to my bio.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah, I kind of want to ask, like, what was [00:06:00] the impetus behind your decision after spending so much time away and, you know, moving around to settling down, it sounds like that's a decision to be at least more settled. You signed a lease, so there's at least a year.

Dianni Hall: Yes, exactly.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: you, you accepted a full time job, there's some sense of rootedness there.

Dianni Hall: Yeah, of

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: If you're comfortable sharing what led to that, and actually maybe too, because I'm curious about going back to your experiences like as a student in college, so I don't know if it makes more sense to you to say it chronologically to tell us a little bit more about your backstory in terms of your college experience.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: since so many of my listeners are college and grad students,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: and then transition us into fast forwarding, okay, you did your thing for several years, and now you are, you said in New York.

Dianni Hall: New York. Yeah. And

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Okay. [00:07:00] Yeah. So now you're in Brooklyn and starting to settle down a little bit more. Yeah.

Dianni Hall: So to go way back I was the first of my family to go to college and graduate. So like we were discussing before we hit record and I'm first gen in that way, my dad came to the U S when he was 15 years old and I think, had. going to school a bit before that to work. So probably doesn't have anything higher than like a middle school or early high school education level. Mom had me at 18 and so finished her education quite early as well. And I think had tried while I was growing up to get her associates, but just wasn't able to, so, yeah, I think there was a big push in my family for me to be the one to, you know, like be able to live out that kind of American dream.

Dianni Hall: And that [00:08:00] was part of the reason my dad was here, you know, to give us that ability. And so it was kind of a, no questions asked I'm the oldest of three. And so with me specifically, it was like, you're going to go to college. That's the, that's the route. And at that time I was really excited to pursue psychology and I wanted to become a therapist and get my LCSW become a licensed clinical social worker. That was kind of the path I was on. So I'd went to William Patterson University right out of high school. And it was closer to home and two years into that pursuing a bachelor's in psychology. I switched universities to Monmouth University in Long Branch in New Jersey as well.

Dianni Hall: They had a much better like psych program, and I was also looking to get away from home a little bit. So being an hour away was nice and was really in this. And so I was determined to like, you know, work with great professors and we were doing a whole you know, I had to do a whole, like, I can't think [00:09:00] of even the word now, which is crazy.

Dianni Hall: I'm so far removed from that time of my life, but a whole like. Research experiment at the end of our time. We were conducting research, our thesis a thesis.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: undergraduate thesis perhaps or capstone project. Yeah.

Dianni Hall: Exactly that. So we were conducting, you know, research and I had really great professors. And then came the time for me to start applying to grad school.

Dianni Hall: So I had it all kind of laid out. I was like, I'm finishing up my bachelor's. I finished at twenty one, twenty two. My parents were thrilled. Even though I had a mountain of student loans, I was still really excited about the fact that I'd done this thing, you know, and I applied for grad school. So I applied to a bunch of different schools.

Dianni Hall: I'm almost positive I got into all of them and they were all within New Jersey and I had decided on Rutgers. So I was going to go to Rutgers for my MSW. That was the plan. And I had, I had gotten in. I had gotten my [00:10:00] internship settled. I remember, I don't remember exactly where, like I said, so far removed, but I'd gotten my internship selected and approved.

Dianni Hall: I had picked my classes for that first semester. I was, like, deep in it, ready to start. I don't remember what exactly happened, but at some point something shifted when I realized that, like, I was going to be doing my master's for the next two years, and then I was going to have to do, like, clinical time, and then, like, I just was looking at the process ahead of me and how much of the rest of my twenties it was going to take up basically and I remember looking at all of it and being like, okay, by the time I'm ready to be like a practicing therapist at some point, I'm probably going to be, you know, 28, 29, which at the time felt so far away and now being 28 going on 29.

Dianni Hall: It's like I still would have been so young. But it just felt so far away and I [00:11:00] had the kind of question of like, do I want to spend the rest of my twenties doing this. And also, I was, you know, completely self reliant and completely self dependent. So I was going to have to work my way through my master's as well while going to school full time. I had a part time job, but it wasn't really enough to like, be able to take care of myself and like, supply my basic needs while going to school full time and then an unpaid internship, which at the time, I don't know if that's changed, but. internships were required to be unpaid, which I found kind of ridiculous because we're master's students and we're not like, know, I'm not living off mommy and daddy's money and don't have the means to just dedicate 20 hours a week to an unpaid internship.

Dianni Hall: So I think all of that kind of hit me and I was realizing like, this is not going to be sustainable, you know, it just wasn't going to be something that I was able to sustain. So really last minute I put it on pause and I kept nannying and picked up other nannying gigs and was just like, okay, if I'm not going to do that right now, what [00:12:00] am I going to do?

Dianni Hall: And I had always wanted to travel through high school from when I was young, I remember wanting to do. A study abroad in high school, but and I went to the conference and I'm sitting in the room with all the other people and there's this big presentation and they're like at the end of it. Okay, this is how much it's going to cost. And I'm like, well, I can't afford that. And I think being a first gen college student, I didn't so then all, there was all these different ways that I had wanted to travel, just never worked out and now it's like, okay, if I'm not going to do my master's, I'm going to save up for a year and I'm going to go backpack. was, that was just the plan. And so I remember telling my family that I was going to go to India instead of doing my master's they were kind of like, what do you mean? I can remember them being still fairly supportive that, like, whatever's going to make you happy was kind of what I was hearing from them, but there was definitely still confusion, fear around my safety.

Dianni Hall: You know, no one had ever traveled that [00:13:00] far within our family. And yeah. And to summarize the past six years, I went to India, in Southeast Asia for four months. So India, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos. I was completely addicted. I was completely hooked. I just even know. There was just so much that I hadn't known that I had been exposed to now that I was like, I just need to see more and that kind of kept being the motivator to continue. That led me into, okay, how can I get to other countries? And then I taught English in Spain and then I was nannying and au pairing and teaching and just doing all the things and tried to figure out how I could make money while traveling, which led to freelancing and still traveling. And now. 30 countries later, I am twenty-eight and, craving a little bit more stability and [00:14:00] daily routine, the ability to maintain routines, maintain community maintain my physical health.

Dianni Hall: And really ground down somewhere in a way that I haven't allowed myself to in the past several years of my life. And so I'm still very much in love with travel and planning trips for this year, but I think it'll all look a bit different as I'm like navigating this next chapter of life. And that's a long winded version of my story.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I am so glad that you shared everything that you shared from your first gen experience of like, I'm going to do all the quote unquote, right things. I'm going to pursue undergraduate research. I'm going to apply to all these grad programs. I'm going to be so good that I'm going to get into a whole bunch of them.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And then. It sounds like when you were accepted, you did that deep introspective work of figuring out what do I actually want and what's [00:15:00] actually going to make sense for me. And that's something that, you know, a lot of my listeners know, I don't recommend grad school for most people, and when folks do decide that it makes sense for them when they're looking at programs, it's about the holistic considerations, not just do they offer in terms of research and in terms of specializations and in terms of rankings, it's like, no, what's going to work for you. Location, budget, you know, funding the demographic, safety, all that stuff.

Dianni Hall: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And yeah, in your case sounds like, yeah, I'm glad that you had that time that you were willing to be so bold to go for what you want and to lean into your curiosity that brought you to India. And then. 30 countries?

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: More countries than years you have been on this [00:16:00] planet? Now that needs to be in your bio, by the way.

Dianni Hall: Yeah, I just, I, and I really appreciate you saying that because I, at the time, didn't even realize that's what I was doing. think I just had looked at it kind of matter of factly and I was like, this isn't sustainable. And. Yeah, and then after realizing that like I couldn't do this like what do I want to do and having the opportunity to ask myself that question and it's it's interesting you say that too because I remember thinking like I'm not gonna do my master's but You know, I can still show my parents that I did my bachelor's and nobody else has done their bachelor's so I still have something to like show them and so it's still even in me saying that, it's like because this was the only option that I thought I had. It wasn't in the conversation. It was like, where are you applying to? You know, not that I was getting any help with applications, but it's like, you know, where are you gonna go?

Dianni Hall: What is that gonna [00:17:00] where are you gonna go to school? So it was just so, like, expected of me that I guess when it came to deciding not to do my master's that I was like, okay, well at least I did this for my parents. You know, I did my bachelor's and feeling like I'd checked that box in some way for them.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah, a lot of us who are first gen can relate to the feeling of wanting to do something for our family or for our community because they didn't have that same level of opportunities or privileges that we have been afforded. And at the same time, you are like you, like when I see you, I see you showing up as your full self.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: You are queer, Latina, first gen, we're talking about whether you're first gen, second gen, at the very least first gen in college. Let's call you 1. 5 in the US. And and I'm, I would love to hear more about [00:18:00] that, about your identities, about your positionality, about like how these identity markers that you're so, you're full self and you know, proud of showcasing them that everybody feels safe enough to do that.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: How have these identities impacted your decision making around your career and your life? And I say career and life, because it sounds like they're so deeply intertwined.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: It's not just oh, I'm a freelancer and that's the career or, Oh, I'm now working in podcasting. Instead of thinking, I feel like most people think career first than life, you were thinking life first than career.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: But correct me if I'm wrong. That's just my interpretation of it.

Dianni Hall: No. You're absolutely correct because I think I entered into freelancing as a means for me to be able to continue to live the life I was living. You know, I was not focareer career focused at all I was like, well, I know how to manage a podcast because I know how to manage my own. Maybe I could get some clients and I [00:19:00] started and I was like, okay, well, this is a thing that'll be able to fund my ability to continue traveling and I can be wherever I want and I'm not tied to a location.

Dianni Hall: And, you know, even now it's still an important factor to me. And like, I'm working a full time job and we're about to, but it's fully remote. And I remember in that initial interview, I was like, Can I still travel? Like, are you cool with me traveling? And they're like, yeah, we're not going to micromanage you.

Dianni Hall: You can go wherever you want. I'm like, okay. So even, even now, it's still important to me. And I think I've ingrained that in myself from that young age of 21 being like, I'm going to go do this thing. that I want to do and everybody else is getting their masters or starting a full time job outside of their bachelors or prioritizing, you know, family or getting married and like all of these next steps that we're told we're supposed to follow. And I decided not to do that. And that has just sculpted the way that I approach life.

Dianni Hall: Now, you [00:20:00] know, I was having this conversation with my partner recently of like, what are you the most afraid of in life? Like, what's your biggest fear and hers being regret. And mine was just like not living the most full life I can possibly live truly. what does that look like? Even when I'm grounded here, maybe I'm not in or in Colombia or wherever, but it's going out and making friends and getting to as many events as I can get to and participating in as many things as I can participate in and taking advantage of like living in Brooklyn living in New York and living that to the fullest as well.

Dianni Hall: So that's that's what that means. And I think it's in every aspect and I think like you asked my identity how that ties into it I think part of it is being like I'm grateful to, the US has its issues now more than ever, but, grateful to have been awarded opportunities that I know my [00:21:00] father or my mother weren't.

Dianni Hall: And my mother even being born here wasn't given the same opportunities, you know? And so being grateful that like they really set me up for an opportunity to be someone who had the opportunity to get an education pursue like a career in the way that I've been able to pursue a career and not just, you know, get a job to make ends meet, but like be able to be independent. And that's not something that, you know, my dad recently was like, all of the friends that I had back in Guatemala when I was growing up, like are dead now that are my age. Like they have not survived life. And I know that I would be in that same boat if I hadn't come here. so that there's like that basic level of gratitude that I think probably plays into my desire to like live the most full life I can live. And I think in terms of being a queer person that hasn't always been something that's been, that's been a struggle of its own. Growing up in a super Christian family [00:22:00] that even still now to this day, it's not something, it's still a struggle for me in family spaces.

Dianni Hall: But I think those same years of me just exploring and getting to know myself in all these contexts of traveler and making it work in other countries when I had no money, but I'm dependent on myself and like learning how to really like live. I've also in that same time stepped into my queerness and have embraced it so ferociously because why am I going to spend my life hating myself for being queer or like dealing with internalized homophobia because I see that on other people and I see how upset they are with themselves or with life for having been born queer for being queer and they take it out on the people around them, you know, we're looking at so much like anti trans legislation in the U.S. right now and just [00:23:00] all of this like viciousness against queer people and I think one of the biggest ways that you can that is just to like ferociously be proud of the fact that you are queer and I'm sorry that that makes me that makes me emotional but like just that's why pride is such a big event and we take so much pride in being queer because if we're gonna be hated by everyone else, then who else is going to be proud of us but us, you know? so, like, all of those things combined has just made me, like, I'm gonna, we're gonna live it and I'm gonna enjoy it and it doesn't really matter what anybody else, like, says or thinks about that. I'm gonna enjoy this life, you know?

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Wow that was so beautiful. I I got a little bit emotional too because I have been, talking to folks, you know, behind closed doors and also publicly on the podcast too about how this year has been really, really hard [00:24:00] already. It's, we're recording in January, end of January. Y'all are hearing it a little bit later, but this was recorded earlier in the year.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: So we're still all kind of dealing with the shock of this. administration and then how fast things are picking up and how hard it's been. And I've been saying like, if, if other people are going to be emboldened, then we too need to be emboldened in showing up as our full selves. So for me, it's, you know, how do I show up as an ally or as a comrade, and also as my full self in the ways that I too, feel different or different from whatever is normative and my autistic, like just showing up and saying, I'm autistic, I'm neurodivergent, I have chronic illness, I know what, like, it's just part of my reality.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And also I have privileges too. And so I can use at the very least this space as an outlet to amplify the voices and the stories that that [00:25:00] matter to me and that includes the queer community that includes LGBTQIA plus and anyone else who has been oppressed in some way shape or form in this country and also globally because this is like a microcosm of everything else that's going on in the world right now.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: So I really felt that emotion. I saw the tears. I know we can't see the video right now, but like I saw your tears. I feel that the intense care and love that you have for yourself and for the communities that you're part of. And I appreciate that because like you said, some folks are not comfortable showing up as their full selves.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Some folks dream of living a life like the one that you have been living. They dream of not pursuing. that graduate school path, they dream of not doing the thing they've always been done because they don't know how to do anything else. And you [00:26:00] have this skill set of knowing how to pivot. And that's, that's a big thing that not everybody is willing to do. Not everyone is willing to take that risk. So

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I want to bring it back to this idea of like how you even make this lifestyle a reality for you. It included your freelance career and going specifically into the podcast production sphere. But I'm curious, yeah, how, like for anyone else who wants to make this kind of pivot, how did you acquire the skills that you needed?

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Did any of them come from your time in college? Did any of them come from other areas where you gained some, or did you learn on the spot? Like, how did that come about?

Dianni Hall: I love this question because I think a lot of times people will hear this and be like, well, I don't have any experience in that. So I can't do [00:27:00] that and I will say. I didn't either. That's not an excuse. If you're listening right now, it's like that is not a reason not to.

Dianni Hall: And I think for a while, for a long time, that held me back. And I remember initially wanting to travel and being like, okay, well, my degree is in psychology. I only have experience, because after college I nannied, like I had nannied for eight years. Yeah. And that was where my skillset is, and that's not really something that's transferable into being able to travel and work remotely in Digital Nomad. So was applying to jobs that I could, like, work remotely and do with a degree in psych, and that wasn't really panning out. And so, like I said, I decided to do the English teaching assistant in Spain. Which is a great program. I really enjoyed it and it gave me kind of that jumping off point to be able to au pair and use the skills that I did have to be able to travel. But I will say if you don't have the [00:28:00] skills. That's the beautiful thing about skills is that they can always be developed and they can always be created.

Dianni Hall: So I before 2019 had only ever listened to podcasts and loved listening to podcasts. That's why I wanted to be in the podcasting space, but had never started one, had never done anything until I started my own. And I trialed and errored on my own, and I learned how to edit on my own, and I gained all these initial skills. Did I know how to manage freelance clients? Absolutely not. Did I know how to do any of the things? How to send an invoice? How to, you know, where do I receive payment? How do you, like, so many things I didn't know. But I gave myself the grace, maybe looking back, wasn't so graceful, but like gave myself the grace and space to learn how to do these things. And so if, I think a lot of companies are remote, you know nowadays, so if you wanted to go the route of like [00:29:00] using the experience you do have to get a full time job, there's, I can give you the resources.

Dianni Hall: It's a travel OD. It's called, she's on Instagram. She helps people get full time remote jobs and she has a lot of great resources like job boards for like fully remote jobs to apply to. But if you want to go the freelance route, I, learned on my own project. So I would say like pick a space whether it's copywriting, whether it's podcast management, whether it's graphic design. Whatever skill you're like interested in cultivating, start cultivating that skill. Offer your services to friends for free so you can put those on your resume, you know hey, I know you said you wanted to start a podcast.

Dianni Hall: Can I you know work on your cover art for you? Can I work on, you know, sending out pitches for guests for you? Can I work on your social media for you? Find ways, or if not for someone else, do it for yourself and take the time to develop those skills and then take yourself to [00:30:00] Upwork, Upwork is one way to find clients. There are a slew of other places and I created a an Instagram reel about like different ways to find freelance clients, but there's like different newsletters I'll share them with you. The names are escaping me right now, but go on to these platforms and look for opportunities and find ways to start even if small in really small ways start. utilizing those skills with other people for still maybe like lower paid or unpaid work and then I know you're probably thinking like, okay, well, like, how am I supposed to sustain that if it's all unpaid work? There is a period of time where you are just developing the skill. So if you have a full time job right now or you're in school or whatever the case may be, if you can dedicate just like a little bit of time on the weekend or some time to this, it will pay off because you're developing a skill that you can keep using over and over [00:31:00] again.

Dianni Hall: So at one point in 2019, 2020, I was only working on my own podcast and now I do podcast marketing for one client. I do podcast production for another client. I do editing for another client. I'm getting a job at an ad sales company with basically starting with skills that I had just taught myself. So it's all possible.

Dianni Hall: You don't need a degree for these specific skills to like, I don't have to go to school to learn how to do these things. There's self taught and there's so many resources online and YouTube is a great resource. it's a matter of taking the time to learn offering those skills for free when you can at a very basic level and then starting to look for actual freelance clients until you're able to work up the clientele and and I don't want to say this as a like a, a one time fix for everything.

Dianni Hall: It's stuff that takes time. You know, it's stuff that's taken me years, but it's It's possible, you know, like it's definitely possible if it's something that you [00:32:00] want bad enough. And I think that was always the underlying factor of like, I really wanted to travel bad enough. Like I really wanted to make this work bad enough.

Dianni Hall: I really wanted to keep traveling and work for myself and figure this out enough that I figured it out. And sometimes you just have to go through that messy middle, figuring it out phase of life to get to the other side of it where you're like, Oh yeah, I know how to do this. You know, like this is easy. And be able to charge more or have the ability to like bring on higher paying clients because you've, you know, worked with smaller clients, you now have the reviews, or the feedback and all of these things. And so, yeah, it can take time to build, but it's totally doable. And. like, technical note. If you are starting off freelancing and you're like, I don't know how to send an invoice. I don't know how to do any of that. Honeybook is a great resource. You can send invoices, proposals, literally everything right on there and get paid right through there. So would definitely [00:33:00] recommend checking that out. But yeah, I hope that's helpful. I know that can seem vague, but really like what it takes, honestly.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Hi Femtees, I'm gently interrupting the show to let you know that you can be a sponsor for the Grad School Femtouring Podcast. Whether you're a small business owner, a book author, or part of an educational startup looking to reach a loyal audience, this is your chance to showcase your work. My listeners are first gen BIPOC college students, grad students and early career professionals who value mentorship, education, and empowerment. If it sounds like a fit, head to the show notes to learn more about sponsoring an episode.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I don't think that was vague at all. I thought that was very, very helpful. You start out by choosing an area, a niche, whatever you want to call it, an industry, et cetera, whatever it is that [00:34:00] you're going to focus on, then start out either offering it to friends for free or lower costs and pull enough gigs together that you start to secure more clients.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And then from there, the more experience you gain, the more you can increase your rates, or even you can start to apply for a full time jobs where folks will take that experience and see that you have a whole portfolio of stuff that you've done. And that's how people do it. I've had several friends of mine who have pivoted.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Actually, there's so many people I know who have left higher ed. I laugh because

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: it's hard to stay in academia, oh my gosh,.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I feel so bad for my loved ones who are still there because there's so much going on in terms of grants, potentially getting frozen or cut, et cetera.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: That's a separate conversation. But going back to this idea of like, I know several people who have pivoted in their careers and how they started, they're like, Yvette, can I [00:35:00] do a UX study of your website and provide you with some data to help you improve your website? I'm like, sure, how much free? Okay, for sure.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yes.

Dianni Hall: Absolutely.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: or folks who like reach out to barter, hey, if I offer this, can you offer that? I'm like, yeah, let's trade. I'll provide you with some coaching services and you help me, you know, with email marketing or whatever it is. So you never know what you could do. And one of the things that I resonate a lot with as part of your story is this idea of wanting it enough, because I didn't know anything about entrepreneurship.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I just quit my job

Dianni Hall: Yeah. Absolutely.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: during the great resignation. Cause I was just like, this is not. Sustainable for me. I broke down and I was like, I can't keep doing this. And then I got this big idea to move abroad and live a slower life. And I was like, I'm going to figure it out. I'm going to figure out a way to make ends meet.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I'm just going to figure it out. And I moved abroad to Portugal [00:36:00] and I had several similar reactions from family members of,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: what are you doing? Like, are you okay? And also, I guess we support you, but we're also a little scared for you.

Dianni Hall: Necessity will make you figure out things that you didn't know you could figure out

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Mm-hmm

Dianni Hall: Needing that income, needing to survive in another country, needing to bring in an income for yourself, it'll just force you to really figure out how to make this work because you have no choice.

Dianni Hall: I think that's the times when your back is kind of up against the wall of like, this has to work because I don't have another option right now. And so you make it work.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And if you feel like you can't, sometimes it's useful to remember that a lot of us come from a long line of ancestors who figured shit out because they had to, they had no other option. And we are currently experiencing a time where there's a lot of [00:37:00] layoffs, where for me personally, with entrepreneurship, it's very, very slow.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And so guess what? I'm still trying to figure things out. I still have to try new and different things and why, because this is what we do. Like when things hit the fan, we will figure it out. Lean on that, you know, the whatever it is that works for you in terms of your spirituality or your religion, et cetera, of like, what did you get from your ancestors and from whatever you believe is a greater power if you believe in it, to tap into that to figure it out.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I'm going to figure it out.

Dianni Hall: And going to now my dad too, it's funny because he started a construction business and has been doing construction since he came here and that's been his whole, you know, life. well, we would joke about that as a freelancer, I'd be like, dad, I didn't know how to like, I didn't know how to send it.

Dianni Hall: I didn't know how to, how do you, what do you do when you onboard a client? Like, how do you, [00:38:00] and he'd be like, Dianni you don't know the number of times that I've gone to visit a potential client's home and they're asking me questions and I just pull it out of my butt because that's all I can do in that moment.

Dianni Hall: And I think it's that, he says it too, of like, You have that ability to survive in that, like, whether you've gotten that from me, whether you've gotten that from your mother, but you have gotten that from us in some way of like, you have that ability to survive and figure it out. And he'll say like, I'm so proud of you for getting to the point where you are now.

Dianni Hall: And I think in that same vein, it's like, yes, we have that ability to survive. And I've done that for so long, but I also think we deserve the ability to rest and the ability to feel joy and calm and let our nervous systems relax and not feel like we have to forever. And so I think there's always a time and a place for it. Yes hustle until you get to you want to be but also remember to allow yourself time to rest because there's been so many [00:39:00] periods of burnout or exhaustion or I've taken on too many clients and I can't manage it all and I'm working 10 12 hour days you know, There's two sides to this, because I don't want you to be like, I listened to Dianni on the podcast, and then I'm, you know, now here I am, and I'm like, you know, overworking myself.

Dianni Hall: You know, there's always, there's always bounds to it, but like, yes, you can figure anything out, but also know when you deserve rest, because for our ancestors as well, in that same way, you know, that they've learned how to hustle. We know how to hustle, but we also deserve to rest in a way that they were never given the ability to.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: We also deserve to experience more moments of joy. And that's the other thing too. Our ancestors also found ways to be joyful, even under the most horrific of circumstances. So I think that's a good reminder of that, even in this process of like figuring it out. It doesn't always have to be hustle. It doesn't always have to be [00:40:00] keep going.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: You can pause, you can rest. And that that's just as helpful. I mean, for me, as someone with chronic illnesses, who, a fuerzas, whether I want to or not, I have to pace myself. And it's very frustrating because I I have a very type A personality where I just wanna, I, I, and I hyper focus. I just wanna get it done. And then my body's like, nope, shut down.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And I'm like, oh, okay. Thank you for reminding me. Now I gotta go and rest.

Dianni Hall: Yeah, yeah, you gotta

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So listen to the cues. Our bodies tell us what we need. Speaking of figuring it out. Some folks still believe this myth that traveling requires a lot of money.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And I know from experience, sometimes traveling.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: is cheaper than staying in the US. And so in, in your case, I'm curious if you have anything to share about how to [00:41:00] travel on a budget or how to pursue a nomadic lifestyle when you don't have wealth, independent wealth, let's say that.

Dianni Hall: Yes, yes, yes, yes, there have been several times where I've worked, nannying or whatever the case may be, saved up money then traveled on that money. And so the goal was to like make that money last as long as I could make it last. And so those were the times that I'd be budget backpacking. And so if that's something you're interested in doing there's plenty of resources and ways to make that happen. Starting with your accommodation where you can volunteer in exchange for your stay. .

Dianni Hall: for your stay. And there's different ways of volunteering. It could be anything from like, woofing and you're on a farm, or helping with social media and admin at a hotel, or they need a bartender.

Dianni Hall: Whatever it is, you [00:42:00] volunteer about 20 hours or so a week. I've done everything from a lot of it's been helping with animals cause I really love animals. So I volunteered at a dog shelter in India, volunteered at a dog shelter in Thailand helped out at like dog hotel in Croatia, just volunteered at hostels and done like front desk stuff. Many ways between those sites that you can find ways to stay in places longer and use the skills that you do have, you know, if they're not. digital nomad skills if they're not online skills, but if you have people skills, if you worked in the service industry, if you've worked in hospitality, you can utilize those things. And they're not looking for super skilled workers, but say you have some experience will definitely give you a leg up on other people. And that's, I've stayed in places for like a month. And you're not paying anything to stay there.

Dianni Hall: So that versus what I'm paying right now in New York, I have two roommates and I'm paying almost 1200 a [00:43:00] month for rent. So yeah, a lot of times, that's why I said, amen, because a lot of times it can be a lot more affordable. And even if you are going to pay rent, rent prices, I was just in Buenos Aires and I stayed in Airbnb for a month and I paid 600 a month. And I would say my one thing with that is if you are going to go that route, you can, Make sure to rent from a local and not a foreigner who's there so that you're also continuing to support locals and the local economy and putting money back into locals pockets.

Dianni Hall: But yeah, you can find places around the world where you can find much more affordable stays. Hostels, if you're not willing to volunteer, hostels are a really great option. And I know some people are weird about like staying in dorm rooms with other people. But they also have private rooms that are going to be more affordable than staying in a hotel or than staying in a an Airbnb. And it's also a great way to, like, meet people and make friends. So hostels are always going to be a more affordable option.

Dianni Hall: And In terms of crafting a budget, say you are [00:44:00] saving up money and you're like, okay, I'm going to go on this trip. I'm going to go to Asia or I'm going to go to South America or I'm going to go to Europe. really figure out like the times of year that things are busiest and when they're slowest, they're high and low seasons because during low seasons things are going to be cheaper. In Europe specifically during high season, which is usually the summer, hostel prices can go up to like 50 a bed for a night. And that's a lot. But during the fall or spring or winter, it can go down to like 15, 20, you know, a night. So be mindful of the season that you're traveling in because that can really impact how much you're spending when there's a lot more tourists. Prices, prices go up. And know your budget. So if you've got 3, 000, which you can, when I left to India, I had 3, 000 in my bank account.

Dianni Hall: That was it. To last me as long as I could last. And I really budgeted it out. There's this app that I use Travel Spend and you put in like what your budget is and it'll break down on a daily basis, how much you can spend. And so [00:45:00] you put your food in there, you put your excursion that you wanted to do in there, you put your accommodation and you make sure that you're staying on top of your budget and tracking it in that way. And in terms of food, I mean, I know we all love to travel and there's a lot of countries like Southeast Asia, it's great for street food and you can eat everything, you know, in a car on the side of the street and it's super affordable and the food's delicious. But there's also the ability, if you're in a hostel, there's always kitchens and you can make your own food and that saves you money as well.

Dianni Hall: It's not, you know, you don't have to go out to like fancy meals and I think that idea. That's the one thing that like I think irks me the most about what the perceptions of travels that it has to be done in this really expensive way. And that's so not true because a lot of other countries tend to be a lot more affordable than the U.S. is.

Dianni Hall: And you can, you don't have to go to the like five star Michelin restaurants. You know, you don't have to stay in the resort fancy hotel. That's thousands of dollars a night. You don't have to do any of those things. There's plenty of ways to do it in so much [00:46:00] more affordable ways. And I think that's also telling of the people who want to go on vacation or the people who want to, you know, travel and in a different way.

Dianni Hall: If they're willing to do these things, you know, if you're traveling, you're like, okay, well, I only want to stay in a resort or I only want to stay in a fancy hotel. Well, then these tips aren't going to help you because you know, that's not, it's, you're going to have to sacrifice what I've learned, sacrifice some comforts and I've had to sacrifice some comforts in order to be able to travel for longer periods of time or experience more, but I've had the best time. every way that I've done it. Those 24 hour bus rides were not, you know, the best time I've ever had. But, you know, at the time I did it to be able to experience as many countries as I could. So those are some resources or things that I've done to really be able to save and they, they help a lot. Definitely help a lot.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: There are two things that stood out to me from what you shared right now. The [00:47:00] first is I'm really glad you mentioned the importance of supporting local economies and locals wherever you're traveling. I think that's a big concern when it comes down to traveling and also being a digital nomad is the concern over how it could negatively impact certain communities.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And so I'm glad that you mentioned that volunteering locally and supporting local owners, business owners, or also the folks who have, houses, et cetera, that they might be renting out if you're staying long term or even short term. And then the other thing that that you mentioned right now is the whole sacrificing some, in some way, shape or form, like getting a little bit uncomfortable, I think that's really important because there's so many, I always say, like, US American specific amenities that we're used to having that when you go to other countries, those might not be available.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Like I rarely ever used a drying rack in the [00:48:00] US. And then I lived in Portugal. And I was like, well, this is my life. I have to use a drying rack for everything. And now I use a drying rack here, which is funny, because I brought that I brought that back with me.

Dianni Hall: Or there's no AC like

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: No AC. Yeah.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: People

Dianni Hall: like to go to Europe in the summer and complain about how there's no AC. But this is just, this is part of traveling that like you're not going to get all the same creature comforts that you're used to here in our comfy little lifestyle here in America. Like they don't, that's just customary.

Dianni Hall: They, you know, they don't for whatever reasons. And honestly it's probably better environmentally. So they don't use AC if you're going to go during the summer, it's going to be hot and you're going to have to get used to it, you know? So there's definitely some things, there's definitely some things.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah, but it's a good reminder because that's not what we see when, when we're looking at whatever is marketed about travel is that it's a mix. It's a mix of really amazing, incredible life changing experiences and some moments that are uncomfortable that are probably also life changing.

Dianni Hall: The most life changing,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah, exactly. [00:49:00] So we're getting close to wrapping up.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I want to ask you if there was any question you were hoping that I would ask you.

Dianni Hall: No, I don't think so. Not that comes to mind. I do really appreciate that you, cause I feel really strongly about people, you know, understanding that there are different ways to travel or that they can, you know, make it a reality for themselves. And I'm just grateful that you asked things that I'm able to, you know, share what information I do have about that.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Well, as we get close to wrapping up, I want to ask one, well, actually technically two more questions. So the first is any other closing words of advice for folks who have this itch of pursuing a nontraditional path of doing things a little bit different than what's expected of them? And after that, I'd love for you to just shout yourself out how we can reach you, stay in touch, follow, support your work.

Dianni Hall: Yeah. It's always so hard to say this in a way that doesn't sound [00:50:00] cliche or like cookie cutter of like, follow your dreams. But that's not, you know, like, I don't want to say,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: What's Dianni's version of that?

Dianni Hall: I don't want to say that. But I think you've heard through me sharing my experience in my story, that like, it's not easy. And if you resonated with any parts of my story, then you've probably, you know, have seen yourself at times being like, Oh, I can't do that. You know, because that's not for me. That's for people with money or that's for people who are born into money or have parents that can send them money.

Dianni Hall: And, you know, I, I know that as first gen second gen, we were not awarded those same privileges and there's a lot more expected of us. That we're living a very different life and we think that we're not deserving of certain experiences or certain things, but not me. If I cry twice in this episode, I swear it, but

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: That'll [00:51:00] be a record on this podcast.

Dianni Hall: it'll be a record for me on anybody.

Dianni Hall: I was on my own podcast, like on podcasting in general, but I think like we, even though we weren't awarded, we deserve those things just as much. You deserve to enjoy this life. And if it means not going to grad school .

Dianni Hall: because that's not something you wanna do, really consider not going if that's not for you because you deserve to enjoy this life. If traveling, if you've always wanted to go to Thailand or you've always wanted to go to Japan. And you hear that nagging voice of, that privileve isn't reserved for you. It is.

Dianni Hall: You get to do it more than anyone, more than anyone else. And so don't think just because you're [00:52:00] first gen, second gen that you have responsibilities that you are not deserving of experiencing this life to the fullest and you are not worthy of enjoying it because we are not put here just to suffer and to work hard. We are put here to enjoy and that is healing for our ancestors Just as much as anything else is that seeing them seeing you witness and experience joy is probably one of the most healing things. So you go and you experience whatever it is you need to do to experience joy. But you deserve it.

Dianni Hall: And that is my version of follow your dreams.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I love that, that actually like kind of [00:53:00] inspires me.

Dianni Hall: Yeah,

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: It's been such a rough month. It has been such a rough month for me personally. And I needed that reminder too. So thank you for that. Not you making me cry now.

Dianni Hall: And I'm glad we all have to be reminded right now, you know, joy is such a form of resilience and a form of fighting back and resistance, you know, like I'm going to experience joy in the face of all of this hatred. I'm going to experience joy in the face of all of this and I deserve to experience joy and like reminding ourselves of that, that like life is not meant to, I think a lot of times in, in the U. S. that life can constantly feel like struggle, not just in

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah.

Dianni Hall: but you know, especially here, like things can feel really hard all the

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Yeah.

Dianni Hall: and it's like it doesn't, yes that is you know, a part of life, but that's not all it has to be. We are deserving of experiencing joy. And what is the point if we're here just to struggle the whole time and not get to like, enjoy any of it?

Dianni Hall: You [00:54:00] know, I don't want to get to the end of this and just be like, yeah, paid my dues. I struggled the whole time. I fought and I survived. But like, what, when did I laugh? You know, when did I spend time with friends? When did I instead of being productive that one time, I went and, you know, sat with a friend and we had a chat over a coffee and like got to laugh and like cry and talk together, like prioritize those things, schedule it in, find time for it.

Dianni Hall: But that joy is so important. So I'll step off my soapbox. That joy is so important.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: On that note, how can folks follow your work and support in any way, shape or form?

Dianni Hall: Yeah, so the podcast, if you want to come listen, is While She's Away pod, While She's Away podcast on Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts. You can come follow me on TikTok and Instagram. I haven't been as active lately, I will be again soon, hopefully sorry, on Instagram at WhileShe'sAwayPod and on TikTok at [00:55:00] WhileShe'sAway. Come, come hang out with me. If you have any questions about anything I shared about today from resources to travel to how to become a freelancer, to anything I discussed, I'm so, so happy to answer. Come slide into my DMs and happy to chat with you. So thank you.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Take her up on that offer, y'all. Dianni has personally helped me with my own podcast in more ways than you all realize. And I took up that offer. So just FYI, I think a lot of, a lot of us sometimes like we genuinely say, Hey, I'm here. Like, please reach out.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I'm happy to, you know, to get back to you. And for listeners, and I'm a listener to, I'm a podcast listener. We sometimes get shy in actually reaching out to the people we're listening to in our ears. So this is just a gentle nudge to the listener.

Dianni Hall: Yeah.

Dianni Hall: If you resonated

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: with anything that was shared today, please reach out to us.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Please reach out to Dianni. Let us know. Cause we love [00:56:00] to hear from you.

Dianni Hall: I mean it. I mean it. My DMs are always open and it brings me the greatest pleasure to be able to like provide resources. You know, when people come to me and they're like, I listened to your podcast and that was so helpful and I did this thing because I listened to that. Nothing brings me more joy than like, yes, like, yes, you did it. So always, always, always, like you said, so happy to help.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: Also, one last thing, not to make it about me, I'm not trying to make it about me, but I have this little trophy that I don't know y'all can see it, but there's a trophy in on my top right of my image of my wherever I'm sitting. And it's a podcast award. And I legit have to give you all the credit because if it wasn't for you, encouraging me to do it, I wouldn't have done it.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: I really wouldn't have that wouldn't be there, that would just be there would be a little plantita there instead.

Dianni Hall: You did that. I know you want to give me credit and I did push you to apply, but you have put the years into creating this podcast. You have put the years and dedication. I [00:57:00] know how much it takes as a solo creator to create a podcast and you have created a beautiful product, a great product that was deserving of receiving that award.

Dianni Hall: So I'm glad that I was the one to push you and tell you that your podcast is worthy of receiving a Signal Award and that you can do that and that you deserve it. And I'm so thrilled that you won. I was so excited when I saw that because you deserve it. And I'm glad that I was there to give you that push for it and that it, that it worked out and you deserve it.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: And you're next, so everybody follow her everybody podcast, follow her work, support her. Cause she's just as supportive of everyone else and deserves all the love. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for this really amazing conversation for being so open, honest, vulnerable. I really, really, genuinely loved hearing more about you, about your story and learning, learning so much from you too, all the resources.

Dianni Hall: It's going to [00:58:00] be a bunch of links on the show notes.

Thank you. Thank you so much. It's been, I've guessed it on plenty of podcasts, but you have created such a beautiful space and I've really, really, really enjoyed this conversation with you. So thank you so much for having me.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: ​thanks so much for listening. If you liked what you heard, here are three ways you can support the show. The first is to make sure you're subscribed and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. The second way is to get your copy of my free resource kit linked in my show notes. This kit includes tools, playlists on all things grad school, productivity, and personal development.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu: The third way to support my show is to follow me on social media. You can find me on Instagram with the handle at gradschoolfemtoring and on LinkedIn by searching my name. Thanks again for listening. And until next time. [00:59:00]